Pastrami Fried Eggs

Beid Bil Basterma

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
Egypt: Recipes and stories from an ancient land

By Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi

Published 2026

  • About

Basterma is a traditional Egyptian cured meat with a unique flavour thanks to the use of fenugreek in its seasoning. During the 17th century, when Egypt was under Ottoman rule, Armenians developed the techniques for curing basterma. Beef or water buffalo meat is cured through salting, pressing and drying, a process that takes up to a month. In Egypt, basterma is served with fried eggs as part of a larger breakfast spread alongside ful, tameya, various chee